They’ve won youth tournaments together, have played in some great games over the years and have been having fun with one another. But the 2025 season is just a little bit more special for the duo as it’s their last ride together.

Kenna is a senior this year and Khaya is a sophomore, meaning this is the final year the two will be able to play with one another on a soccer field.

“It’s very wholesome kind of to have one last ride — one last full season — playing on the field together,” Kenna said. “It’s very nice.”

The Bennett sisters are a tough duo for teams to limit. Ask any coach who’s played against Montoursville and they’ll second that. Milton assistant Patrick McCarthy acknowledged that after Milton’s win over the Warriors last week. So did Loyalsock coach Mark Pysher.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville's Khaya Bennett drives the ball down field during their game against Milton Monday.

The Bennett sisters have a great dynamic on the field. If Kenna is looking to send a ball deep, she knows where Khaya will go. If Khaya is trying to assist Kenna, she has a good idea which way Kenna will cut.

It’s a sisterly connection on the pitch.

“We’ve always played together since we were 12. Well, before that even,” Kenna said. “We know how we work off of each other. I know how she works, she knows how I work and it just benefits the team.”

Kenna led Montoursville last year with double-digit goals and Khaya was second on the team in goal scoring, giving the Warriors a good 1-2 offensive punch. But sometimes you need to move pieces of a team around to figure out the best fit.

Montoursville opened the year allowing 14 goals in its first two games. Coach Vic Gorini knew he needed someone to plug the back line and prevent players from getting through. That’s where Kenna’s career took a bit of a shift.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville's Kenna Bennett heads the ball Milton's Olivia Heise during their first half.

Kenna, after being a solid forward for Montoursville, was moved to the back line and she’s exceled in her new role for the team.

“It does take away (scoring), but you saw the goals we gave up in the first two games. The rest of the areas on the field we played pretty well on, but the ball was just going through our defensive back line too easily, so we had to plug some holes there with some senior leadership,” Gorini said. “It does take away from offensive momentum for sure, but it was something that we needed to do to compete.”

Since Kenna became a defensive player, the Warriors have allowed just five goals in four games: two to Milton in an overtime loss and three to Loyalsock in a 3-2 thriller.

“Being on the back line definitely gives me more of a sense of being able to control and direct and keep everything in front of me,” Kenna said. “If it gets back I can assist in any way I can.”

Kenna can be seen often taking deep direct kicks for Montoursville as well, adding a weapon as she can boot it 30-plus yards seemingly with ease. That’s where that connection with her sister comes in handy too, trying to feed Khaya a ball deep if she’s able to.

While moving from forward to defender was a bit of an adjustment, soccer comes natural to Kenna, and it wasn’t too hard move for the senior.

“It definitely is a big adjustment, but it was an easy switch for me because it was second nature,” Kenna said.

100 AND COUNTING

Todd Fitch has been around the Wellsboro soccer programs since their inception. He was an AD in 2003 and spent time with the girls soccer program before he then began coaching the boys as an assistant in 2010.

“Being so directly involved with the soccer programs since their inception and knowing the history of Wellsboro soccer has been fun and, I imagine, unique,” Fitch said.

Now Fitch can say he is part of Wellsboro’s history as well.

On Saturday, Wellsboro blanked Towanda, 5-0, and gave Fitch his 100th career win as the program’s head coach.

Fitch took over as coach in 2018, following in the footsteps of John Shaffer. Since taking over in 2018, the Green Hornets have only had one season with less than 10 wins and have recorded 14 or more wins in a season in five of those seven campaigns.

“I didn’t really give it a lot of thought until after the game on Saturday. Since then, I’ve done some reflecting on the journey, the time invested, the relationships and on the boys and the teams who have come through the program and made the milestone possible,” Fitch said. “I have been blessed.”

Under Fitch, the Green Hornets have made the playoffs every year and have won three consecutive NTL championships – four in the last five seasons. Wellsboro was runner-up within that span in 2021 as well.

Fitch credited the school district as well for providing the team with the facilities to play and train.

“The school district has invested to provide great facilities for athletes to train and compete, but more importantly, it’s the people of this school district and the community that has made coaching in Wellsboro extra special.”

ONE TOUGH DEFENSIVE TEAM

After Muncy’s girls soccer team defeated Mid-Penn rival South Williamsport last week, coach Jason Gresh was quick to point out the key.

“Defense wins championships, right? That’s the end of the story,” Gresh said.

And that’s more than true when it applies to Muncy’s girls soccer program. The Indians’ defense has been more than outstanding this year en route to a 7-0 start. The Indians have allowed just three goals so far: one to Millville (win, 3-1), one to Troy (win, 3-1) and one to South (win, 2-1).

That defensive prowess has should be credited to defenders Rachel Paulhamus, Kyra Creasey, Katie Shipton and Emma McCormick. Three of those four rotate to help the Indians’ back line.

“We lost Addy (Eyer), Eva (Eyer) who was all-league last year and had to move to keeper. We’re starting to new outside backs but they have really, really stepped up,” Gresh said. “Emma (McCormick) anchors the defense and she takes as much pride in that as any human being could, and she makes sure she’s talking. She makes sure they’re shifting and makes sure they’re doing the things they do.”

Teams don’t get many chances to score against the Indians, and that back line is why.

TWO MILESTONES IN THREE DAYS

Muncy had two players reach two big milestones within just a two-day period. On Saturday, Ava Eyer scored a total of six goals in two games at the Northeast Bradford Tournament. The two hat-trick performances gave her 50 scores for her career, as she became the fourth 50-goal scorer in Muncy girls soccer history.

She joins all-time goal scorers Emilie Nagel (76) and Aleaha Bigelow (76) in addition to Carly DeVore (69) on the all-time scoring list, putting her with some exclusive company of former Muncy standouts.

“Ava is a relentless worker. Whether in the classroom, on the basketball court, in the weight room or on the pitch, she puts the time and effort in to excel. She is a great young lady and this is a great accomplishment, but only the first of many athletic and academic goals she has her sights on,” Muncy coach Jason Gresh said. “The thing I am most proud of is that as she achieves these individual goals, she is more focused on helping her team realize success. She is just a fantastic person and teammate.”

On Monday, a milestone was set again, this time by Ella Nagel as she dished out four assists to reach to 50 for her career. She now sits behind only her sister Emilie, the program’s all-time leader in assists with 65 (2020-23).

“Ella has a relentless work ethic. She has had some major injuries the past two years, yet has missed almost no games. She just continues to battle night in and night out,” Gresh said. “She is a team-first player for sure, as demonstrated by this accomplishment. She makes the correct soccer play, continuing to pass up good shots to find open players who have better ones. She is a pleasure to coach and I couldn’t be more proud of her.”

CONFIDENCE BOOSTER

Loyalsock’s boys soccer team had a bumpy stretch of the schedule recently. The Lancers suffered consecutive shutout losses to Mifflinburg (2-0) and Central Columbia (8-0) before falling to Warrior Run, 4-1.

But after that patch, the Lancers started playing well and things have clicked. Against South Williamsport on the road, Dylan Eck scored his first career goal as the Lancers won, 1-0.

On Tuesday, Loyalsock had four players find the back of the net in a 4-0 win against the Bulldogs.

It may only be two wins in a row, but it’s a confidence boost for Loyalsock no doubt.

“Yes. Absolutely. Any time you can get a win for any program, it gives the kids confidence,” Loyalsock coach Steve Ertel said. “We’re in a good position, right? Win or lose, these guys are always learning and hopefully we can build on this.”

Ertel likes what he sees from his team too, playing as a group and team together. It’s the camaraderie which has been the team’s biggest strength in 225.

“This is a great group of young men,” Ertel said. “Win or lose, we enjoy being together. It’s been phenomenal.”

Jon Gerardi’s top 5 rankings:

BOYS SOCCER

t-1. LEWISBURG (7-0-1): The Green Dragons have posted four consecutive shutouts since allowing a goal to Camp Hill and Lewisburg had a great 1-0 win over a talented State College team on Saturday. The Little Lions entered Saturday having scored 21 goals in eight games and Lewisburg limited them to just four shots on goal. On Tuesday, the Green Dragons played rival Midd-West and the two battled to a scoreless double overtime draw. Gabe Pawling recorded his 21st career shutout in the process.

t-1. MONTOURSVILLE (8-0): This is the Warriors’ best start to the season in the 2020s or 2010s. Montoursville’s offense is great this year, scoring 35 goals so far through seven games, but its defense is just as great and has allowed just five to get into the net. The best display of Montoursville’s solid defensive efforts was Tuesday night in a 1-0 win against Central Columbia. The Warriors showed they can compete with anyone in the district and are solidifying themselves as one of Class AA’s best teams.

3. CENTRAL MOUNTAIN (5-2-2): The Wildcats have played some exciting games lately, haven’t they? Central Mountain battled Selinsgrove to a 3-3 double overtime draw before then tying Williamsport two days later in another double overtime draw, 1-1. The Wildcdats had a great 2-0 win against Milton on Tuesday as Dylan Bechdel and Yayfran Sanchez both scored. They have some solid opponents coming up on the schedule and are playing well at the right time.

4. WELLSBORO (6-2): The Green Hornets saw coach Todd Fitch record his 100th win as the team’s head coach in Saturday’s 5-0 win against Towanda. Wellsboro is emerging as a team with playmakers stepping up such as Jacoby Strang and Jonathan Carl, two players who have no problem finding the goal. And defensively, the team is finding its footing,

5. N.P.-LIBERTY (5-3-1): The Mounties have been flying under the radar lately so to speak as they sit at 5-3-1 following Saturday’s 2-1 win against NEB. After back-to-back losses to Wellsboro and Montoursville in which the team gave up seven goals, Liberty has gone 2-0-1 since, beating Towanda (5-0) and NEB with a scoreless tie to Athens in between. If the Mounties’ defense can fix some mistakes, Liberty could be a tough contender in the NTL this year.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Mason Fry, Montoursville: Fry has been playing well and it’s shown the last few games. After recording eight saves in a 5-1 win against Sullivan County, Fry had the biggest game of his career by far with a 14-save performance to prevent Central Columbia from scoring, keeping Montoursville undefeated against an outstanding Blue Jay squad.

“He was a massive part of the win. He was very vocal in the back, which helped the D stay on track,” Montoursville coach Bryan Pauling said. “He had his best game of the season and has had a very solid season so far. His confidence and leadership has improved significantly this year.”

GIRLS SOCCER

1. MUNCY (7-0): What a week for Muncy, and not just because the Indians are 7-0. First, Ava Eyer scored six goals at the Northeast Bradford Tournament to reach 50 for her career and then, two days later, it was teammate Ella Nagel who dished out four assists to reach 50 for her career. Those are two great milestones for two talented Muncy players.

2. HUGHESVILLE (5-3): Hughesville shook off a tough 1-0 loss to Montoursville last week with back-to-back wins, including a nice 2-0 win against a very good Milton team. Kylie and Katelyn Temple came up with both goals for Hughesville in the win. The Spartans have plenty of playmakers and it has shown their last few games.

3. MILTON (5-1): The Black Panthers suffered their first defeat of the year on Monday, losing to a talented Hughesville team, 2-0. Milton is a tough team and don’t expect the Black Panthers to be dwelling on that loss. It’s onto the next opponent for Milton, and the Black Panthers have some tough opponents coming up, including Southern Columbia.

4. WARRIOR RUN (7-1-1): The Defenders played solid in a 4-1 win against Bloomsburg. After the Panthers took an early first-half lead, the Defenders kept at it and it resulted in four unanswered goals to secure the win and move to 7-1-1. Warrior Run’s offense seemingly hasn’t skipped a beat despite graduating standout Raygan Lust last year who scored 30 alone.

t-5. SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT (3-3): After a 1-3 start, the Mounties are starting to play better and have strung back-to-back wins against Sullivan County (8-1) and CMVT (14-1) together to get to .500. Those wins to get to 3-3 will give the Mounties, a fairly young team this year, a bit of a confidence boost as the season ramps up.

t-5. LOYALSOCK (2-4): The Lancers made a statement win on Saturday by beating crosstown rival Montoursville in an exciting thriller, 3-2. Mackenzie Miller came up clutch for Loyalsock with a hat trick while Ava Deknecht and the Lancers’ defense limited Montoursville late in the game to secure the win. Coach Mark Pysher said afterwards that he hopes Loyalsock keeps playing with the intensity they did against Montoursville. If so, the Lancers could be a tough team to beat.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Kloey Persun, South Williamsport: Persun is emerging this year as one of South’s players that teams have to keep an eye on from a defensive perspective. Persun came up with a three goal, three-assist performance against Sullivan County on Saturday in an 8-1 victory and then scored a goal and dished out another three assists in a 14-1 win against CMVT on Monday afternoon.

Jon Gerardi is the sports editor at the Sun-Gazette and covers high school soccer. He can be reached at jgerardi@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JonGerardi.